4 Signs That Your Child Has Headlice

4 Signs That Your Child has Head Lice

Keep a lookout for these 4 signs that your child may have come down with a case of lice.

1. Lice eggs (called nits). These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can’t be removed by brushing or shaking them off.

Unless the infestation is heavy, it’s more common to see nits in your child’s hair than it is to see live lice crawling on the scalp. Lice eggs hatch within 1 to 2 weeks after they’re laid. After hatching, the remaining shell looks white or clear and continues to be firmly attached to the hair shaft. This is the stage when it’s easiest to spot them, as the hair is growing longer and the egg shell is moving further away from the scalp.

2. Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan. Nymphs are smaller and become adult lice about 1 to 2 weeks after they hatch. Most lice feed on blood several times a day, but they can survive up to 2 days off the scalp.

3. Scratching. With lice bites come itching and scratching. This is actually due to a reaction to the saliva of lice. However, the itching may not always start right away — that depends on how sensitive your child’s skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to start scratching. They may complain, though, of things moving around on or tickling their heads. (Just a note: the itching will not go away immediately after the lice are removed – this allergic reaction can take weeks to go away)

4. Small, red bumps or sores from scratching. For some kids, the irritation is mild; for others, a more bothersome rash may develop. Excessive scratching can lead to a bacterial infection (the skin would become red and tender and may have crusting and oozing along with swollen lymph glands). If your doctor thinks this is the case, he or she may treat the infection with an oral antibiotic.

You may be able to see the lice or nits by parting your child’s hair into small sections and checking for lice and nits with a fine-tooth comb on the scalp, behind the ears, and around the nape of the neck (it’s rare for them to be found on eyelashes or eyebrows).

If you notice that your child has one or more of these symptoms, give Natural Choice Lice Removal a call. We will come out and verify whether your child has lice.

We travel all over the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles including Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, Granada Hills, Calabasas, Northridge, Canoga Park, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Sherman Oaks, Agoura Hills, and Moorpark. Give us a call to see if we serve your city!

I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found Rachel. I had tried for weeks to get rid of my children’s lice on my own, but they just kept coming back! I knew I had to go to a professional, but I had heard horror stories from friends about the rough handling of their children from other lice removal companies, so I was very wary of this route. Rachel however, was so gentle and kind, my kids absolutely loved her. I really cannot sing her enough praises. The lice are gone, my kids are happy, I would recommend Rachel to anyone!